Persona: Tsumi to Batsu

Persona: Tsumi to Batsu (ペルソナ 罪と罰) is a spinoff manga of the Persona series, specifically Persona 2, written by Naotsugu Matsueda. This manga takes place in the same school as the Persona 2 games. It's also known as Persona: Crime and Punishment, taking "Tsumi" from the kanji character Sin (罪) from Persona 2: Innocent Sin and "Batsu" from the kanji character for Punishment (罰) from Persona 2: Eternal Punishment.

Contents

The manga begins as Kazumi Kiba, the protagonist, has a dream where he encounters Philemon. The next day, reminded of his dream, he suggests a masquerade ball for his class' contribution to the Seven Sisters High School school festival. Because of this, he and his long-time friend Rihito Shimizu are tasked with finding masks for the ball and in searching for them, encounter Igor acting as the proprietor of a mask shop. However, as they return from the shop, Rihito suddenly vanishes.

After a few days with no word, Kazumi is led to a purportedly haunted abandoned factory where Rihito is said to have been seen. There he comes into contact with not only Rihito, but demons under his control as well. Rihito attacks him, claiming to have always hated him. Kazumi's Persona Yama appears at this time to protect him before he is knocked unconscious.

When he awakens he encounters the persona-bearing family that supposedly haunts the abandoned factory and is introduced to the Velvet Room. From this point on, he is drawn into a conflict with Rihito and his companions from Nymphéa as more is revealed about his history with Rihito and the incident ten years prior to this surrounding their mutual friend, Mana.